Senior Merkel ally wants tougher asylum rules

A senior politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), Thomas Strobl, called for a further tightening of asylum rules recently agreed by the cabinet only last week, saying asylum-seekers should only be eligible for permanent residence in Germany after five years, rather than the current three.

Strobl, who is one of the CDU’s five deputy chairpersons as well as being leader of the party in Baden-Württemberg state, told Die Welt newspaper: “The right to be in Germany indefinitely should not be given away for free.”

To obtain permanent residence, migrants should “speak reasonable German,” have basic knowledge of the legal and social systems and should have not committed any crime, Strobl said. They should also be able to show they can support themselves financially.

Last Wednesday, the cabinet agreed on new asylum rules but not without disagreement with the ‘grand coalition’ of Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD). Sigmar Gabriel, economy minister and SPD leader, said he did not agree with the draft measure to suspend family reunification for unaccompanied minors.

Baden-Württemberg, which takes in 13 percent of all new refugees in Germany, has regional elections scheduled for March 13. It is current run by the Greens and SPD, who kicked out a CDU-led coalition in 2011’s state elections.